Just One Dance
by Krystal-Glass
Summary: A story of a peasant girl named Zoey, who is invited to ball at the palace by the prince but is denied attendance by her stepmother, Nanosounds, who only lets her two daughters, Minty and Lomadia attend. But, an angel finds Zoey and gives her a dress and a chance to dance with the prince! But she is forced to leave before Rythian can ask her name...takes inspiration from Cinderella


Just one dance

Prolouge

We begin in a large manor, tucked away behind the forest. Thirteen years before the following story, two people lived happily together in the house. A father and his daughter. His name was Barry, and he was royal guardian to the prince, who ten years later would become king, and he was Duke of Mushrooms. Unfortunately, Barry died in battle serving his kingdom. The cause of his death was an arrow to the heart, shot by an unknown character. Before he died, however, Barry re-married. His first wife had died giving birth to his daughter, Zoey, and he was lonely. So he found a lady by the name of Nanosounds, who was given title of Duchess when Barry died. Zoey was only five when her father passed away, but she still holds onto fond memories of their trips to a lake hidden in the corner of the forest. The kingdom sat upon a hill, containing a post office, pub, tailors, market and of course the castle, residing on top of the hill. As a two-year-old, Zoey was often taken to work with her father and left to roam the castle under the watchful eye of one of the king's maids.

Sunlight peered through the crack in the curtains and shone down on Zoey's sleeping figure. She was a simple peasant girl, but she never used to be. Her father was royal guardian to the king when he was alive, but he died in battle when Zoey was just 5. Her stepmother, Lady Nanosounds, inherited the house and with it her father's money. Nanosounds gave her two daughters, Minty and Lomadia, the largest bedrooms and forced Zoey down into the maid's room. It was around 5:00am, but that was normal waking-up time for her. Reluctantly, she dragged her body out of bed- well, some sheets and a pillow on the window-seat- and began to dress herself. A tattered and tired old, red, spotted dress fixed with many a brown patch of fabric was what she wore, with her old gold pumps. Golden ribbon held the dress to her waist and her long red hair was plaited and rolled into a bun on the back of her head. Then she felt so sure that today was a good day, she started to whistle.  
"Tweet, tweet! Tweet, tweet, tweet!" The bluebirds from the nearby forest started to join in. Zoey was so gentle, so kind, nothing was scared of her. Then, the deers joined in, tapping their hooves agianst the wall. But unfortunately, this beautiful moment was ruined by a shrill cry from upstairs. Minty was awake, and Zoey hadn't made breakfast yet. It was only 8:00am! Panicking, Zoey rushed out of her room and into the kitchen to make the trio's breakfast.  
"Zoey! Zoey you lazy peasant, bring me my breakfast!" Minty screamed, waking up her sister Lomadia.  
"Zoey! Zoey! Bring me my breakfast!" She called.  
"One minute girls!" Zoey called, seemingly doing multiple things at once. Within the space of sixty seconds, Zoey was running up the spiral staircase, three plates on each arm and the drinks tray balanced on her head. She bumped Minty's door open and walked inside, trying her best to be calm, and most importantly, smile. "Goodmorning, Minty. I have your breakfast for you," She greeted, setting two of the plates down and reaching for a glass from its place on her head.  
"Finally! Took you long enough!" The blonde girl screeched, sitting up in her bed. "Leave now!" She instructed, and Zoey left to deliver Lomadia's. The same happened for her, and Lady Nanosounds equally so. When all was said and done, Zoey headed downstairs to begin her daily chores, when somebody rang the doorbell.  
"ZOEY!" They all screamed, as normal.  
"I'm going!" She shouted in reply, turning on her heels to walk towards the grand mahogany doors. When she opened them, she was pleasantly surprised to see Inthelittlewood, the postman, standing there.  
"Oh! Goodmorning, Inthelittlewood. I didn't expect to see you here at nine in the morning!" She greeted, smiling her beaming smile at the blonde teenage boy before her. He never wore the postman uniform, always his three-quarter length denim shorts and an over-loved green t-shirt with a darker green swirl at the centre. "Goodmorning Zoey. I have three letters today, here you are!" He replied, pulling the afore mentioned letters from his bag.  
"Okay. I assume for Lady Nanosounds, Minty and Lomadia then," Zoey said, taking them from her friend.  
"Actually, no. Minty, Lomadia and you, Zoey. The prince sent one to every girl in the land between the age of 16 and 20," He responded, pointing to each of the names on the letters. They were crisp white envelopes sealed with the royal emblem in purple wax. The purple showed they were from the prince, red was from the king and pale blue was any lower class in the castle.  
"Really? A letter... for me?" She was stunned, nothing that came through the post was _ever_ for her. Yet there it was, her name printed on the front of it. "Wow. It is for me." After saying goodbye to her friend, she discreetly tucked her letter under her bedroom door and went to give the girls theirs.  
"Minty! Lomadia! There are letters for you!" She called.  
"Not important right now! I'm doing my make-up!" They shouted back together.  
"They're from the prince...but if you don't want to read them..." She taunted, and they both bolted downstairs, trying to push past each other. They snatched the letters off Zoey, tore them open and read in unison, replacing 'miss' with their own name;  
"Dear miss, I, The prince of Magica, would like to invite you to a royal mask ball at the castle this saturday. I hope to see you soon, Prince Rythian!" They finished with a squeal at reading his name. Zoey thought hers must say the same, even if she did visit the castle when she was little. Besides, they wouldn't know it was her! The prince wouldn't anyway... But she had to read it, just to be sure! When she finally got some time to herself after scrubbing the floors, polishing the furniture and being made to sew headresses for the girls, Zoey sat on her bed and pried the wax seal off. But hers _did_ say something different. It read;  
_Dear Zoey, You may not remember me, but I remember you. When you first came to the castle, you know you thought you saw something purple in the shadows? You did. That was me! I was wearing my father's cape, one with enderman eyes on the back that glow. I still wear it sometimes, you know. Anyway, after that little reminisent moment, I would like to invite you to a royal mask ball at the castle this saturday . I understand if your stepmother does not let you come, but I would like to see you again sometime. Remember, its a mask ball, so don't ask any questions. You're not meant to know anything about your partner. From, Prince Rythian._  
It looked hand-written. In fact, it was. As much as she desired to go, she knew for definate Rythian was right. Her stepmother would never let her go. Soon the night of the ball approached, and Zoey was forced to run around after the girls, fetching things, doing hair, tying braclets and necklaces, tightening corsets, and everything else. While they were gone, she simply sat and cried at the fact she couldn't go.

_Three days before the delivery of the letters, in the castle;  
_

"You must marry soon, you're nearly 21 for cry it out loud!" Xephos, the king, exclaimed at his son. They had spent hours sitting on their thrones while duchesses, dukes, ladies and lords all came to present their daughters to the prince, in hope of him picking one to marry.  
"But father! What if... What if she's, say, a peasant? What happens then?" Rythian argued.  
"Who? What if who was a peasant?" He asked, pacing the floor in front of his throne.  
"The one. The one girl I fall in love with," He replied.  
"Then... Then you... I don't know!" He sat down, exhausted from the arguement.  
"I have an idea. And it'll please both of us," Rythian said, walking over to sit by his father. His mother had supposedly disappeared from the face of the earth after he was born, so everyone just said she was dead, having no other explanation.  
"Very well, what is your idea?" He asked.  
"A mask ball. This saturday. We invite every girl in the kingdom between the age of 16 and 20 to a mask ball. That way, I can't judge by money, looks or parents. When I decide who I want, I shall ask them for a name. Simple," Rythian explained, calm as ever.  
"That sounds... reasonable. I guess we could," Xephos said, already imagining the decor.  
"See? I said it would please you. But father?" Rythian asked.  
"Yes, my son?" The king replied.  
"Can I please do the decor? You tend to... over-do it sometimes." He requested.  
"Fair enough," The king said with a chuckle. "It is your mask ball after all."  
"I shall send invitations now," He said, walking out of the room.

Zoey was still sobbing when she heard a tap at the window. Deciding the birds singing (Little did she know, it wasn't, in fact, the birds!) could help calm her down, she reached over to the window and opened it, not looking up. After not hearing birds singing, but bells ringing, she finally looked up to see a pink-haired angel fly in. "Don't look so down my dear, whatever is the matter?" She asked.  
"I had an invitation to go to a mask ball at the castle tonight, but my _evil_ stepmother, Lady Nanosounds, won't let me go!" She spat her stepmother's name out like poison.  
"Well that shouldn't be a problem! You wish to go? Then just say so!" She exclaimed, landing on the floor and changing into a wood elf.  
"I wish I could go to the mask ball at the castle tonight!" Zoey said, standing up.  
"Of course you do! Who wouldn't?" She said, and with a flick of her wrist, Zoey was transfromed into the most beautiful looking girl you've ever seen. Her dress lengthened until it met with floor, turning ruby red and starting to shimmer as it did so. Matching red gloves wound their way up to her elbows, and her small gold pumps gained a slight heel and sparkled the same as her dress. Her hair waved, tumbling down over her shoulders and a small plait going round the top of her head. Her lips went sunlight golden, to match her shoes, and as she fluttered her eyelashes, she felt sparkles appear on her eyelids. A red butterfly mask appeared, clipping behind her ears. When all was done, she was stunning. Even her eyes sparkled more.

"Thank you. I look amazing, but, how will I get there? And what's your name? I never got a chance to ask you," She said, admiring herself in the mirror.  
"There's a horse and cart waiting for you outside, and my name is Kaeyi. Kaeyi the wood elf," She replied, opening Zoey's bedroom door and gesturing to the doors. She excitedly stepped out of her room and began walking down the hall, opening the doors when she reached them. Outside was a mahogany cart, pulled by two beautiful grey and white stallions, each with a headress. One red and one pale blue. A man in a white suit with an orange tie sat at the front, ready to depart. Zoey stepped onto the cart, carefully sat down and was about to set off when Kaeyi spoke once more.  
"Zoey! The spell wears off at midnight! Be gone by then! The carriage will disappear too, if you're not home by then, you'll have to walk. Unless, of course, you wish with all of your heart for it to last longer." Zoey smiled and nodded, before giving the signal to Gilbert, the man in the white suit, to set off for the castle. He lashed the reins at the horses, Jonny Iron and Red Five, and soon they were at their destination. Zoey dismounted the carriage and watched it ride off. Then she turned to the building in front of her. Good. She wasn't late. There were still people going inside. She had brought the invite with her, just in case.

"Invite?" It was one of the royal guards asking for the invites, to make sure no-one dangerous got inside. Eventually Zoey's turn came, and she showed him her invite with the purple wax seal of the royal emblem, and she was let inside. The ballroom was decorated flawlessly. The chandeleir made from crystal hung from the ceiling, illuminating the room perfectly. Ribbons of purple and black were pinned around the room, and King Xephos sat at his throne, in his usual attire. The prince stood next to him, wearing a panther mask, a plain long black cloak, a black suit and a purple silk shirt underneath. His hair was dark brown with a blonde streak to the left, it was short and stood on end. In short, he was drop-dead _gorgeous_! Zoey stood around the edge, as far away from her sisters as possible. Yet somehow she ended up stood just behind them, peering over Minty's shoulder.

"Father?" Rythian asked.  
"Yes, my son?" Xephos responded.  
"I have seen a lady I would care to dance with," He said, keeping his eyes fixed on Zoey.  
"Go ahead," He said, scanning the room and deciding any of the girls would suit his son quite nicely.  
"Thank you," Rythian replied, and stepped forward, heading in Zoey's direction. He stopped just beside Minty, and held his hand out to Zoey.  
"May I have this dance?" He asked as the music changed.  
"Of course," Minty said, taking his hand. He pulled away from her.  
"I'm sorry, I was addressing the young lady in red behind you," Rythian said, holding out his hand once more. Minty simply crossed her arms and walked away. Zoey looked around to see if anyone else was in red, but she was the only one. The prince had asked Zoey to dance!  
"O-Okay... I don't dance very well though," She said, nervously taking his hand.  
"You don't have to," He said as he led her to the centre of the dance floor. "Just follow my lead."  
"Just one dance," Zoey said, beginning to move slowly. Soon the pair were dancing smoothly. They danced song, after song, after song. Rythian had made his choice. "May I show you something?" He asked, looking down at the girl he was dancing with.  
"Of course," Zoey said, allowing herself to be led away. Minty and Lomadia craned their necks to look where he was taking her, but their veiw was blocked by a couple dancing, and then they were gone.

Rythian led the mystery girl out onto the balcony that over-looked the entire kingdom. They sat down on a bench together and he turned to face her.  
"Do you like magic?" He asked.  
"I love magic tricks!" She exclaimed.  
"Then close your eyes," He instructed. She obeyed. Rythian slid his hands under hers and lifted them up. He closed his eyes and soon they both felt something between their hands. Rythian opened his eyes and saw an ender-rose in his hands. Perfect. Carefully, he ran his finger down to the thirteenth thorn and pricked it there, letting purple-black blood stain it. This would identify the rose later.  
"You can open your eyes now," He said, letting her grip tighten around the flower. He was careful to lay it so she wouldn't be pricked by a thorn.  
"Wow. An ender-rose." Zoey knew them from books she had read. "But you can only get these from the End, and you couldn't of had it up your sleeve or found it. So where did you get it?" She asked. Rythian simply tapped the side of his nose, telling her it was a secret. She looked down at it, but saw on her watch it was almost midnight! She had to go! "The rose is beautiful but-" She was interuppted by Rythian.  
"You can keep it."  
"Thank you, but I must go!" She said, running for the castle doors. She jumped down the stairs, losing a pump on the way. But she had no time. She clambered onto the cart and quickly told Gilbert to hurry. Rythian chased after her, only to see her cart riding off. He slowly turned to walk back inside when he saw a hint of gold glitter at the corner of his eye. He ran back down the stairs to pick up the shoe, before running up to his quarters to keep it safe. The golden shoe looked out of place in the entirely black and purple room. He missed his only chance at marrying that girl. Now he would have to pick another. '_I'll probably just choose that blonde girl from earlier_' He thought.

When Zoey arrived home, the dress disappeared. Everything returned to normal, or so she thought. Only her shoe remained the same. Not wanting her stepmother to have any knowledge to hold against her, Zoey hid the shoe in her handbag and slipped on her spare pair. Night had long since covered the landscape and she needed to awake at 5:00am the next morning, so she walked down to her room, and fell asleep. Back at the castle, everyone was filing through the doors to their carriage and Rythian was left alone with his father.  
"Did you choose someone?" Xephos asked.  
"Yes," Rythian replied.  
"Hair?"  
"Firey red."  
"Eyes?"  
"Blue with a sparkle that puts the stars to shame."  
"Height?"  
"To my shoulders."  
"Good. Personality?"  
"Very... bubbily. Energetic. Never stops smiling."  
"Good. You could do with being less... depressing all the time." The king joked. "Name?"  
"I'm sorry, she ran out of the doors before I could ask her..." But Rythian was cut off.  
"Nevermind. You are certain of this girl?"  
"Certain."  
"Would you know her if you saw her again?"  
"Most definately."  
"Then I shall send a search party for every girl matching the description you have given me."  
"Wait! I know how to be certain it is her." The king looked inquisitive. "Last night, when she ran away, one of her shoes fell onto the step. I took it up to my quarters, it should still be there. I shall go to every house in the kingdom, of course bringing Teep with me, asking all the girls to try it on. If it fits, and they have the other, they are the girl. I shall instruct the royal cobbler to make no more shoes until I say so, to make sure no one has another made."  
"Sounds like a plan to me!" The king said, smiling.

Fin

**A/N: I took inspiration from Cinderella, can you tell? Please R&R, it helps sooooooooo much you wouldn't beleive it. Thnx! -K**


End file.
